The new BMW M2 will be available to dealers in April 2023, with the company launching the car in October. As of yet, we were unsure whether the M2 would come with a manual. BMW confirmed it would be coming to the US market, something we had speculated could be limited to the US market. In an afternoon press release, BMW confirmed the M2 will have a manual transmission.

In addition to the manual gearbox, BMW also offers an eight-speed Steptronic transmission as an option, which guarantees a highly dynamic application of power, redefining driving pleasure. Besides the engine and driving modes, BMW has also confirmed that some other features will be available on the M2.

The manual comes first. As the M2 is to be powered by the brand's S58 inline-six engine, we expect this transmission to be extremely similar to the manual transmission found in today's BMW M3. This may prove to be problematic. In multiple tests, the M3's manual has been found to be somewhat lacking. With the M2, we hope BMW has addressed these shift quality issues.

Considering the engine, the new M2 will have plenty of power. S58-powered M3s produce 473 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque in base form. As the M2 is positioned just below those in the lineup, it may be possible to achieve similar numbers even if all its turbos are singles rather than twins like the M4 and M3. BMW has yet to specify its plans. BMW does predict that the new M2 will 'boast comparable performance levels to the BMW M2 CS,' which is 444 horsepower and 406 pounds-feet of torque.

A look at the interior of the M2 is also featured in other news. The software will be iDrive 8 by BMW. Despite a few still-covered details, the new interior looks very much like it does in the current M240i, especially the controls that surround the transmission. Moreover, BMW displayed the M2's pre-set drive modes, including road, sport, and track.

From what we can tell, Road and Sport leave everything in the 'comfort' mode, with Sport removing the lane departure system, and upping throttle response, suspension stiffness, and exhaust. Taking that one step further, Track will likely disable brake assist as well.

In addition to sharing a close-up of the front end of the new M2, BMW also released an image of the grille, which looks like an upgraded version of the 2 Series Coupe's, complete with M strakes and deeper bezel.

Earlier this year, the M3 and 4 featured 50 Jahre BMW badging, and this year's models will do the same. The 'brake system' from these cars will also be on the M2. BMW has yet to elaborate on this, but we assume it means the whole nine yards. Well, at least the rear wheels will be in action. Until BMW gives us more information about the new M2, we'll have to wait.